In the News

It's almost total solar eclipse go time. If your family is fortunate enough to be within range of observing this event be prepared for one crazy show. However, if you're not then you're still in luck. There are some pretty impressive sites dedicated to bringing up-to-date webcasts and information about this natural phenomenon.

We're packing our bags and heading up to the Bay Area. Starting next week Otterhop.com's base of editorial operations will be in beautiful San Francisco, Ca. Stay tuned for more Otterhop-goodness and additional Bay Area specific goings-ons for you and your wee ones. No worries, we'll still be covering Los Angeles and beyond (including exclusive access at Comic-Con 2009).

The proposed government-funded (er, taxpayer) cash infusion is getting the dress-down from the American Heart Association. They're like--hey--let's take this 700 billion dollar opportunity to whip some fat out of our super-sized kids. Interesting argument, but is it solely our schools' responsibility to keep our kids healthy? I'm all for extra laps around the track, but will that really fix the problem?

I'm so annoyed by this whole Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) put together by our Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) which is set to go into effect early this year. Admittedly I have a small handmade obsession stemming from my stumbling upon ETSY. I love handmade goodies.

A local council in western Sweden has withdrawn its written warning against a pre-school teacher who encouraged children in her class to eat cat food earlier this year.

Say what?

The teacher gave the children cat food to taste when the class was working on a project about cats in February.

Local media reported at the time that it was not the first time the teacher had encouraged the children to taste feline feed.

One of the children's parents complained to the principal, Cecilia Knutsson, who decided to take action and warn the teacher.

A recent Associated Press post "More Flu Vaccine Aimed at Key Flu Spreaders: Kids" discusses reasons for a new plan of attack against the vicious, icky flu. The article explains "Flu-shot season begins this month, and for the first time vaccination is being pushed for virtually all children — not just those under 5. It's a huge change, and one bolstered by provocative new evidence that children are key flu spreaders.

Politics aside, this is pretty cute -- From the Huffington Post where the video is posted: "Michelle Obama gave the headlining speech tonight at the Democratic Convention. Barack joined the crowd via satellite after she was finished and praised his wife. Obama's daughters were thrilled to see him, and frequently, and adorably, interrupted their father with shrieks of "Hi Daddy!". Obama also mentioned two different cities for his location, first saying "Hello from Kansas City," and then saying he watched the speech with a family in St. Louis.

Ohio State University Professor publishes research that claims young children tend to think that other kids with glasses look smarter than kids who don’t wear glasses. Too bad this wasn't the case twenty years ago.

With filtering software that catches 500 to 1000 phrases and two-thirds of the company's staff to positions such as safety moderators and customer service, Club Penguin is taking Big Brother to the next level and doing it well.